The San Diego Padres are sitting on a deadline dilemma with Monday’s 6 p.m. EDT cutoff getting closer. They’ve got two of the best relievers in baseball in play, and the question hanging over them is simple: does San Diego move one, move both, or stand pat?
Right now, the Padres are at least giving themselves a reason to hesitate. They’ve gone 8-2 over their last 10 games and are only 1.5 games out of an NL Wild Card spot. That kind of run makes every deadline call a little trickier.
Among the names drawing the most attention is Adrian Morejón, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan say the Padres have “a huge ask on [Adrian] Morejón, and with good reason. If he is dealt, he could very easily be the best reliever to move this deadline,” they wrote. They also noted that “Morejón is an impending free agent and at this juncture is likelier to go than [Mason] Miller because of it.”
McDaniel and Passan put Morejón’s chances of being traded at 40%. The left-hander is bringing 99-100 mph heat, a 3.00 ERA in 60 innings in 2026, and one more calling card that teams love: he’s one of the best ground ball relievers in baseball.
There was also a Yankees angle attached to Morejón, but that report didn’t hold up. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that San Diego had turned down a New York offer that would have sent Morejón to the Yankees and right-handed starter Will Warren to the Padres.
But according to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty and Dennis Lin, that formal offer never happened. “Not so, said a team source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations, "Kuty and Lin wrote. "The Yankees never even made a Warren-for-Morejon formal offer to the Padres, as was relayed in a published report on Sunday that the source called inaccurate."
Kuty and Lin did say New York’s interest in Morejón may be real. The difference, at least based on their reporting, is that interest never turned into an actual offer.
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Yankees Deadline Push Now Hinges On One Catching Upgrade
The Yankees are still trying to make one more meaningful move before the deadline, and the most interesting part of their search has centered on catcher. They want a right-handed bat behind the plate, a sensible fit for a roster that is already being pushed toward added bullpen help and another right-handed hitter elsewhere, and they have not been shy about working the market with that kind of urgency.
Tyler Stephenson, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Jeffers have all come up as possible answers, which shows how broad the search has become and how competitive the market is likely to be. For a club intent on upgrading in more than one spot, the catching pursuit may end up shaping how the rest of the deadline unfolds, especially if the front office has to decide how far it wants to go to land the right fit. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees May Have A Trade Answer For Their Injury Hit Lineup
The Yankees lineup has been strained by the injuries to Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, and the front office has been doing what it can to survey a thin trade market for help. Catchers and infielders are scarce in particular, which makes the search more difficult and pushes the conversation toward whatever productive bats might actually become available before the deadline.
One name worth watching is Randy Arozarena, a player the Yankees know well enough to appreciate as a possible fit in a lineup looking for more punch. The Seattle outfielder has put together strong offensive numbers this season, and his situation could make him one of the more interesting names to track if New York decides it needs to act on the market rather than wait for reinforcements from within. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Fans Just Got A Yankees Trade Twist To Process
The Yankees are adding another wrinkle to their infield and batting-order picture, with ESPNs Jeff Passan reporting they are reportedly trading for Nationals first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. It is the kind of move that immediately invites lineup speculation because Garcia gives New York another capable left-handed bat, and any extra offense around the middle of the order tends to matter in October-minded planning.
But the fit is not as simple as just slotting in one more name and moving on. Garcias arrival adds depth, yet it also brings a real juggling act for the Yankees as they try to sort out playing time and keep the lineup balanced without creating unnecessary friction on the bench. The upside is obvious, but the next question is how New York makes all of the pieces work once everyone is actually in the mix. [Read more 🡒]